Maths inspires our children to seek the pursuit of truth as creative, critical and analytical learners.
‘Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times’ (Mark 4:8)
Mathematics Curriculum Intent
At Holy Spirit Catholic Primary Academy, our mathematics curriculum follows a mastery approach to teaching and learning. We achieve this mastery approach through the following ways:
- Developing mathematical thinking
- Carefully sequenced, small-step learning
- Building fluency
- Using representations that expose mathematical structures
We understand that mastering Maths means acquiring a deep, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject and are committed to ensuring every child, regardless of prior attainment, has access to a Maths curriculum which maximises their progress and academic achievement.
We teach Maths using Maths Mastery through Ark Curriculum Plus, an approach to teaching which has been based on extensive research into Maths teaching around the world and is written by world-leading educational experts.
An important aspect of Mathematics Mastery is the daily Maths Meeting, which is used to consolidate key areas of mathematics. Maths Meetings provide an opportunity to teach and revise ‘general knowledge maths’ which may not explicitly be covered during the maths lesson, and also allows the daily integration of maths into the surrounding environment.
At Holy Spirit Catholic Academy we place a high value on fluency and understand that factual recall and fluency in mathematical procedures are vitally important in order for our children to gain the mathematical knowledge they need to succeed in life. We therefore place great emphasis in our teaching on using concrete resources and pictorial representations with our pupils to fully understand the concepts and principles being taught.
It is important for our pupils to be able to use and apply their mathematical knowledge to Science and the wider curriculum. We want our children to understand that Maths is essential to everyday life, critical to Science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy, employment and successful adult life. We aim for our pupils to use and apply their mathematical knowledge and skills in the world in which they live for a brighter, secure future in which they can thrive.
How we teach Maths
Daily Maths Lessons
We teach Maths through daily maths lessons, using the mastery approach to teaching Maths and follow Ark Curriculum Plus.
Maths Mastery Lessons are typically broken down into six parts:
- Do Now
- New Learning
- Talk Task/Let’s Explore
- Develop Learning
- Independent Task
- Plenary
Alongside daily maths lessons, additional Maths Meetings are held. These meetings provide an opportunity to teach and revise ‘general knowledge maths’ which may not explicitly be covered during the maths lesson, and also allows the daily integration of maths into the surrounding environment. To complement this, the children in Reception through Year 2 also complete the Mastering Number programme for 10 to 15 minutes daily, on 2 to 3 days per week.
Multiplication Check
The multiplication check is a test which school are required to administer at the end of Year 4. The check involves answering a series of timed multiplication questions, assessing the children’s fluency in multiplication up to 12×12. We use ‘Times Tables Rockstars’ as a fun online tool to support pupils in developing fluency in multiplication tables.
Homework
KS1 – children have Maths activities set on Purple Mash, linked to prior or current learning outcomes
KS2 – children are set weekly activities from their CGP Maths book to complete.
Curriculum Maps
Please click on the link below to take you to the curriculum maps for each year group:
